England vs India, 4th Test: Ben Stokes reflected on the Lord's Test thriller, heaping praise on Shoaib Bashir who braved an injury to make a match-winning impact. Stokes won the Player of the Match for his inspired bowling effort.
00:00But yeah, when we came in last night, after taking that last wicket, that long room was absolutely raucous.
00:08Generally think it was louder when we walked back in after that, ashes into it.
00:13But that was more cheers and excitement last night as opposed to the boos coming out when the Australia game was here.
00:24And how bad is Bash? Are we likely to see him again in this series?
00:28Yeah, it's not good news for Bash. Very disappointing for us as a team and for him.
00:38Yeah, big shame. But I think, you know, the courage that he showed to go out there and bat at the end for us
00:44and willing to sit there on the bench waiting for his moment to come on and bowl.
00:49You know, I think it just proves, I think, how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on that,
00:58you know, not even a couple of breaks is going to stop anyone getting out there.
01:04Chris, Adam and Emma, two on this side here, please. Go ahead.
01:08Ben, there's been quite a few special moments for this team over the past three years or so.
01:12But I just wonder, does this win rank as one of your most satisfying as captain?
01:20I don't know.
01:24Like, I think for me, like winning on day five by 22 runs like we did is probably one of the most subdued celebrations
01:34I've ever been of, an England win.
01:36Yeah, just didn't have a lot to give, to be honest, there with the celebrations.
01:43So it's a weird one.
01:45I mean, obviously, it's a great game.
01:46It's a close game.
01:47You would think I should be saying yes, but it's just quite hard to quite get me head around it at the moment,
01:53if that makes sense, just because I'm, yeah, I've obviously, you know, put a lot in over the last two days.
01:58So when you're physically and emotionally tired, it's hard to, I don't know, properly feel.
02:07I reckon in two days' time, I'll be pretty pumped.
02:10But, yeah, just pretty knackered at the moment, to be honest, but obviously very happy that we've managed to get the win.
02:15I heard you say on TV that you're probably going to spend the next four days in bed.
02:19Yeah.
02:20Just checking, like, you're pretty confident you're going to be up at it and bang up for Manchester.
02:26Oh, yeah, I mean, absolutely sound for Manchester.
02:28It's a big break.
02:30Obviously, I was pretty tired after Headingley.
02:33But, yeah, after we walked off the field there, sort of a whole new level of tiredness hit.
02:41Look, and it's obviously different when you're...
02:43I've been in games like that before, not as a captain, you know, where I've been given the ball to run in and try and bowl the team to victory.
02:50But then now, obviously, adding on to the decision-making around bowling changes, field placings, how I feel we're going to get this win.
03:00You know, obviously, there's a physical element of bowling in the fourth innings, but then, yeah, shouldn't be underestimated how the emotional and mental tiredness does also get you as well.
03:13So, Adam and Emma will finish with two here and then we're done.
03:17Hi, Ben.
03:18You've obviously shown massive belief in Bash and he's had a tough series, a tough week.
03:22How nice was that just for his confidence?
03:24And assuming we're not going to see him again the rest of the series, it's a good way to finish.
03:28Yeah, I don't think it's, like, confidence is anything to worry about with Bash.
03:33He's very confident with his inability.
03:34He's very confident, comfortable within this team.
03:38But, look, I think what an amazing feeling for him to be able to take that wicket there.
03:44You know, and obviously with his hand in the state that it's in, amazing.
03:49Just, yeah, very proud of the way that he went about the rest of the week after having to come off the field.
03:56You know, I think there would be a lot of people who might not necessarily have been brave enough to go out there and face, you know, Bumrah.
04:08And then also put himself up for, you know, wanting to get out there and bowl and help his team.
04:14Last two here.
04:16Ben, just want to ask that how much bowler Ben Stokes listened to captain Ben Stokes when he was, you know, delivering was seven overs in a trot, eight overs in a trot.
04:24And they kept showing us Brendan McKellum's face.
04:28He was just trying to send some messages to, you know, Tim Saudi.
04:32So, you know, they were always showing this.
04:34So, is there a communication between the captain Ben Stokes and bowler Ben Stokes when he were, you know, continuously coming off his bench after something?
04:41Are you trying to say we've got a little man on my shoulder or something?
04:45No, I think, look, obviously yesterday, yeah, it came down just to, but there was more cricket to be played.
04:54Today, it wasn't.
04:56Game was on the line.
04:58And that obviously is a completely different element and aspect to what it was last night.
05:02Obviously, put a big shift in yesterday.
05:06And, yeah, today was sort of, it was going to be my decision when I stopped bowling.
05:15So, as soon as I felt like I was not the person to break this game open or take the wicket, that's when I decided, right, enough's enough.
05:23Change, change the bowlers up because, look, although I felt threatening for most of the day, when, when batters are in, they feel more comfortable against whoever it is.
05:32So, yeah, obviously changing who you bring on and giving a batter a sort of new, I don't know, new bowler to line up to think about facing.
05:44That was sort of the decision today.
05:45But, yeah, I was, yeah, trying to bowl and win a game for my team.
05:51Last one, Mike, please.
05:53Last two or three years, Ben, we've obviously celebrated a lot of blazing hitting and quite rightly so.
05:59But in games like this, does it make you appreciate even more the measured approach of someone like Root?
06:06Top score in both innings, face most balls in both England innings.
06:10And he must have actually on his board to himself in the dressing room now, isn't he?
06:15He should do, definitely.
06:16Else is ninth, is it?
06:17Or eighth, hundred?
06:18Eighth.
06:19Yeah, he seems to be doing the first man to do this a lot for England at the moment.
06:24Just, it's amazing to be in a dressing room with, with greatness.
06:28You know, we've known each other since we were like 12, 13 years old.
06:31So, to be still playing for England together is pretty amazing.
06:34He's still the same old Joe Root that he was back in the day.
06:39And, look, I think the way in which that, this whole game played out, scoring freely was very, very tough.
06:49It wasn't a wicket that you felt like you could actually get huge value for your shots.
06:55So, it was about, you know, biding your time and just, you know, taking almost your runs as, as they came, if that makes sense.
07:03And, obviously, you know, Rootie's the best batter in the world in all conditions, in my opinion.
07:13You know, he read the situation very, very well, as did, I thought, Oli Pope as well.
07:17It was very clear that it wasn't going to be one of those wickets where you could, you know, play those big drives on the up or get out of the ball because of how slow it was.
07:24And, obviously, when the ball went a little bit softer, it became even harder.
07:29But, yeah, then when it came to be, when it came to batting in the third innings, it was a completely different game with that new ball.
07:35Like, yeah, it was an interesting test match to be a part of as a batter with the amount of changes that the wicket sort of threw at you.
07:43But, yeah, and even, again, in our third innings, you know, we honestly felt that 190 runs was going to be very, very tough to chase down because of how that wicket had changed.
07:52The invariable bounce, some keeping low, some going through the top.
07:56So, yeah, we were actually very confident that we had had a good score, but we knew we'd have to bowl well.
